Learning to Fish

Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  ~Matthew 4:19

When I was a child I loved to go fishing with my dad. He had a V-bottom boat that we took to the lakes around our state; Lake Greenwood, Lake Hartwell, Santee, and others. There was a pond near our house. My brothers and I would take our fishing poles down to the pond during the lazy days of summer. We learned to dig worms and thread them on our hooks. We learned to hook a minnow just under the spine so it didn't slip off. We learned to wait patiently for the fish to drag our bobber under the water before snatching out our catch. Now my sons teach their children to bait a hook, feel the tug of the line, and reel in their catch. We were an "eat what you catch" family when I was growing up but my boys are catch and release. One son has his own flyfishing business. 

I could never see the point in catch and release until I thought about Jesus telling his disciples he would make them fishers of men. Jesus wanted to teach his disciples to tell others about the message of salvation but he didn't want them to just sit on the mountainside or hold up in a monastery when they became believers. He wanted believers to go and tell others, to become fishers of men. That's a gospel version of catch and release. 

Before you fish you have to learn how to bait the hook, how to cast the line, how to feel the tug or watch the bobber. When you fish you have to give the fish something they want - the worm or the minnow. How can we prepare to offer the gospel to the people we meet? 

• Prayer
• Bible study
• Assurance that you are a believer
• Allowing others to demonstrate how to approach others with the gospel

What can we offer the person we meet? Maybe they need help or maybe they are looking for peace. When we were on mission trips to Nicaragua we saw lots of hungry people. We fed them. It's easier to listen when we have full stomachs. Sadly in the winter, we see people who have lost their homes to fire or in summer to a tornado. When we see people who have encountered a tragedy. We can try to offer help, do they need clothes, or water, or some other immediate need. Before we can give people the gospel we must first try to meet their immediate need. 

But first, we must meet our immediate need. 

• Does your church offer a discipleship class?
• Do you have a daily routine of prayer and Bible study?
• Do you have others who will go with you when you witness to others?
• Do you have a personal message of salvation to share with others?

Jesus said, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Are you willing to gather the things you need to be a fisher of men? Fishing is one of the most enjoyable things I know. 

Heavenly Father, teach us to be fishers of men. Help us be willing to learn by following you. In Jesus's name. Amen.